MLS Schedule Limits Bradley’s Ability to Gel US Squad

Chalk this up to MLS’ unconscionable decision to continue play right through FIFA international blackout dates. Bob Bradley today named the squad for next Wednesday’s match at Wembley Stadium in London (A match I will be attending) and the team is missing several standards of the US setup including Pablo Mastroeni, Maurice Edu, Frankie Hedjuk and Jozy Altidore. Each of the aforementioned players was named to Bradley’s provisional 33 man squad last week but was dropped this week presumably because of the MLS schedule. While I am pleased that Jozy Altidore, due to this scheduling conflict will miss the match and we will see some other forward options (including the often forgotten Josh Wolff) we will not see a the team that will feature in qualifying playing together, using these friendlies to gel as a unit.

Thus the US team, already vastly inferior in talent and skill when compared to their English counterparts is entering the match shorthanded. Part of the US’ strength through the past few season has been the familiarity each player has with one another due to the January training camp, even when facing superior sides. However, only five players who participated in the January 2008 Home Depot Center training camp is on this squad. Only three MLS based players have been included on the US squad: Landon Donovan, Rico Clark and Brad Guzan.

So it appears in the United States club has won out over country. Complicating matters further for MLS is the league’s new found love for artificial turf as evidenced by the situations in Toronto and Seattle. With turf once again proving to be unsuitable for the game and the problems of laying a new natural grass surface in short order in Moscow, MLS has a potential image and credibility problem emerging. It’s best MLS solve both its scheduling issues and it’s continued promotion of artificial surfaces in the near future. I will have much more on the debate about fake grass in the near future.

About Kartik Krishnaiyer

A lifelong lover of soccer, the beautiful game, he served from January 2010 until May 2013 as the Director of Communications and Public Relations for the North American Soccer League (NASL).
Raised on the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the old NASL, Krishnaiyer previously hosted the American Soccer Show on the Champions Soccer Radio Network, the Major League Soccer Talk podcast and the EPL Talk Podcast.
His soccer writing has been featured by several media outlets including The Guardian and The Telegraph. He is the author of the book Blue With Envy about Manchester City FC.
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